(8)Established in 1899 by President William McKinley Civilian Conservation Corps builds trails and buildings in 1930Used as training for Everest mission in 1962

(8)Map of zones affected by lahars and Pyroclastic Density Currents (PDS'c) (Hot slow of ash, rock, and gas) in a dome building and collapse event. Average repose period = 382 years. "Next" eruption, predicted = 2276Larger, darker orange = lahar zoneLighter orange = PDC zone. Zones based on current deposits from past eventsBoth zones = mandatory evacuations @ 1st sign of eruption, short time scale to react (Hours to minutes). (12) Based on Mt. Rainier's pattern of small to medium eruptions, with decreased reposed, this is the most likely scenario. (13)

Standard Dome Building / Block and Ash Eruption5,000 years ago Mt. Rainier was 16,000 feet taller (mostly ice) and a debris flow melted all of it resulting in the Osceola Mudflow, leaving these zones in danger of a sizable flooding event (12) Zone based on deposits and local topography. Big lahar eventMore Likely ------------------------------------------------ Less Likely Blast zone based on the 1980 Mt. St. Helens 8 mile blast radius. MSH and Mt Rainier are very similar volcanoes on the same subduction zone, so it's not a stretch to predict it could behave this way. Anything red would be gone, with widespread destruction beyond. Worst Case ScenarioGlacier progression can be tracked through lichenometry, and glaciers have been receding since 1924. The line at which glaciers start has also regressed 160 meters since the early 19th century. We've known this since a 1981 study by Doug Burbank. While climate change doesn't change the eruptive nature, less ice on the summit to be liquified into lahars, but it also means more runoff which can mix with unconsolidated material without an eruption. (9)Glaciers on RainierMt. Rainier in the NW United StatesMt. Rainier Tourist Cabins (http://www.visitrainier.com/images/parkRegion_sunrise_historical_1.jpg) Rainier Glaciers http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/geologic_wonders/images/Rainier.jpgMt. St. Helens (MSH) catastrophically exploded in 1980, Mt. Rainier is closer to population centers and it not far away.

- Evidence of lateral blast debris on Osceola Mudflow (15). MSH erupted both laterally and vertically, something not observed before, but Rainier deposits show evidence this has happened before.

-Both sit on the Tertiary Cascade magmatic arc, and have similar flaws in the lithosphere beneath them, leading to similar magma sources (16) MSH was explosive due to high silica lava, could Rainier behave similarly? MSH Lateral Blast (http://s-tiger.photovillage.org/photosDir/2369/thumb/800-JLM-NatGeo-Mount_St_Helens-1980-May_18.jpg)USGS closely monitoring sector collapse (17), who's power was demonstrated at MSH in 1980.